Galaxies and Lightning
by GalaxyPegasus14
Summary: Sequel to 'Fire and Lightning' and set about a month after the events of that story. Gingka and Madoka finally work out a few thngs that they had assumed about the other, both finding that they were wrong. GinMado, Zero-G timeline.


**So, here it is. The promised sequel to 'Fire and Lightning.' Enjoy!**

I can barely contain my excitement. It has been nearly a month since that conversation I had with Ren, and she and Zero seem so happy together now. But that's not really why I'm excited. Two hours ago, Zero and his friends defeated the DNA, hopefully once and for all. Maru called on her laptop and told me the whole story. Right now, I am walking through the forest, heading on my way to meet them. Under normal circumstances, I would have just waited for them to return. But, according to Maru, although she doesn't know this, these aren't normal circumstances. I only hope that I am taking the same route to find them as the one they are taking to get back. Why am I out here? Because he is with them. That's right, Maru said they found Gingka himself in the DNA headquarters, and he is returning with them to Metal Bey City. That's why I couldn't wait, that's why I am now trying to cross a cliff face on my way to try meeting them.

"I still can't believe that he's coming back with us." Shinobu whispered to Zero as they followed closely behind Gingka, who was leading the group through the forest on what he claimed was a shortcut, but what Kira suspected, and Maru confirmed, was taking them the complete opposite direction from what they wanted to go.

"Okay, I give up, this forest changed too much and I can't figure out where I am." Gingka admitted, stopping and looking around. "Stay here, I'll try to get a better look." the redhead turned to a tree and began scrambling up it.

"Me neither." Zero replied as he watched the Legend balance himself carefully on a branch and look out over the surrounding trees.

"Aha! Somebody face that way so I can remember it!" Gingka called, pointing.

"Done!" Ren replied, turning to face the direction he was indicating.

Gingka climbed quickly down the tree and continued leading the way, this time in a completely different direction than they had been going previously, one which Maru even agreed was at least a bit closer to the right way. Soon, they were walking along the top of a high cliff, still deep in the forest.

"Wow, I wouldn't want to fall off of this!" Zero exclaimed, looking down nervously.

"No kidding." Kira agreed.

"Shh!" Gingka paused suddenly, holding up a hand to silence the group. His golden-brown eyes narrowed as he listened closely.

"Stay here, I hear something up ahead." he said, crashing off into the bushes and pulling out his launcher.

Unknown to the group was the fact that, in getting lost, they had actually made a full circle, and were now following Madoka's path as the brunette cautiously inched along the edge of the cliff a few yards ahead, unseen by anyone and seeing no one.

Suddenly, Madoka's foot slipped as the rock underneath her suddenly crumbled away. The brunette screamed as she fell, closing her turquoise eyes in fear.

"Madoka!" the brunette suddenly felt her wrist in the grasp of a strong hand.

"Madoka-chan!"

"Teacher Madoka!"

Several voices called her name, and Madoka looked up.

"Here we are again." Gingka grinned down at her, his gloved hand wrapped securely around her wrist. Ren and Maru were standing next to the redhead as he lay on the edge of the cliff. Madoka flushed a light pink as Ren winked at her.

"Well, couldn't you have come sooner?" Madoka asked as Gingka began to pull her back up onto the safety of the ground above.

Gingka grunted as he strained to pull the brunette to safety. "You're just lucky I heard you pushing through the bushes, otherwise I probably wouldn't have gotten here in time."

Within a few seconds, Madoka stood safely beside the group on top of the cliff, as Gingka again began leading the way.

"Umm, Gingka?"

"Yeah Madoka?"

"Metal Bey City is this way."

"Oh. Lead the way then!"

Madoka sighed and stepped in front of the Legendary Blader, quickly hiding her blush as her hand brushed his. For the next few hours, the group walked, Gingka and Zero laughing about something every once in a while, and commenting on their first battle. Kira and the others were stunned to find out that Gingka had appeared and battled Zero the night before the finals of Neo Battle Bladers. Madoka was slightly hurt that the redhead hadn't come to see her, when he had been so close, but she said nothing. Se glanced back a couple of times, only to find that Gingka wasn't really following her, he was following Maru and the rest of the group, talking and laughing with them but seemingly ignoring her. A few tears slipped out of her eyes at this, and she quickly turned her head away.

Apparently, even though he was now in his early twenties, Gingka was still the same reckless blader he had been before, completely at home in a stadium, or on a training journey, but seemingly ignoring the very girl who had helped him come so far. She had always been by his side, and now he didn't even seem to notice her. Once they reached Metal Bey City, she quickly excused herself and ran off, thinking that maybe it was better that he didn't know, never found out that she loved him.

"Are you coming to Bey Park with us, Gingka-san?" Zero asked, turning back.

"Well, I was going to, but I think there's something I need to do first. I'll catch you later!" Gingka ran off after Madoka.

"The others aren't going to believe us!" Eito exclaimed. The excited voices of the group faded behind Gingka as he ran, ran after Madoka.

Madoka didn't really know where she was going, but she soon found herself at the exact grassy spot by the river where she and Gingka had met. She threw herself down on the ground, buried her face in her arms, and began sobbing, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

Was all of this just my own fantasy? I should have remembered, remembered that he was too involved with blading to get serious about anything, remembered that he was always more interested in battling and training other bladers than talking to me, remembered that the only time he ever really paid any attention to me was when I was fixing his bey. Even then, he only hovered around my work station because he was waiting for me to finish so he could go battle Kyoya again. I wish it could be more like the early days, before his name was even on any tongues other than those of us, his friends. I wish it could be like it was when we first met, with him falling asleep on my couch and then spending so much time blading that he caught a cold and I had to take care of him. Back then, there was never any of this champion blader stuff, never any of these swarms of people constantly around him, from morning until night, talking to him, asking him questions, even if they were giving him the attention he deserves as a Legendary Blader. If only there wouldn't be swarms of fan girls around him, like that idiot Chao Xin's, when he should be just mine. He even left without saying goodbye… No, it's probably better that he never knows, it could distract him from his job. He needs to be able to protect the world, and I might just slow him down.

"Why did it have to be like this? Why?" Madoka nearly screamed into her arms.

"What are you talking about?" his voice, close to her ear as his arms wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her close.

Madoka looked up in alarm, right into a familiar pair of golden-brown eyes.

"Are you okay Madoka? What happened?" Gingka asked quietly, his eyes filled with concern.

"I-I…" Madoka found that she couldn't say anything. She suddenly turned and pressed her face into his scarf, as a torrent of words came out.

"I just wish it could be like the old days, no news reporters, no threats, just us, with no extra group of annoying fan girls hanging around and messing things up. It always felt like you were ignoring me, even after everything I tried to do to get your attention, always fixing Pegasus first, only to have you immediately take off for another battle or something."

"Whoa, slow down a minute!" Gingka exclaimed, gently pushing the brunette away and putting a finger on her lips to silence her. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry…" Madoka muttered.

"Don't be, I just couldn't quite catch everything you were saying." Gingka replied. "Just let me get this straight, you thought I was ignoring you?"

"Well, yeah. Gingka, I really-" Madoka was cut off, her eyes widening in shock as Gingka suddenly leaned in and kissed her.

"Listen, Madoka. All of this, everything I've done, everything I have accomplished. Do you know how i was able to do it?" Gingka asked as he pulled away.

Madoka shook her head.

"All of it was just a guy trying to impress the girl he had a crush on."

Madoka's eyes widened as the full impact of those words, what they meant, hit her like a freight train.

"I-it was? Nemesis and everything?"

Gingka nodded. "Yes. Every time i was battling, i would glance back to see if you were watching. During the Nemesis Crisis, one of the main things keeping me on my feet and in the game was the thought that if i failed, it might bring harm to you, and if it didn't, then it could kill me and that would harm you. I showed off my skills time and time again trying to impress you, trying to win your heart from whoever or whatever held it. Yet, as soon as i was done with a battle, all of your attention would go to the condition of my bey. So, i battled like crazy, because it seemed like the only way you paid attention to me was when i was battling."

"It was all... For me?"

Gingka nodded.

Madoka pulled her friend into a tight hug. "Then why didn't you tell me sooner?" She sobbed. "I always tried to get your attention by showing you that i cared, by fixing Pegasus, but i thought you were always too focused on battling. I-I'm sorry, Gingka." She buried her face into the white fabric wrapped loosely around his neck.

"I'm sorry too, Madoka." Gingka whispered, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and resting his cheek on top of her head.

"Shall we go to Bey Park then?" Gingka broke the silence a few minutes later.

Madoka broke away from the hug and smiled. "Sure, just let me run by the B-Pit and get my laptop, so it can be just like old times."

Gingka laughed. "I wouldn't want it any different, with the exception of everything we just explained."

Half an hour later, the two arrived at Bey Park. Zero was busy battling several other bladers.

"Alright, now who's up for the challenge?" Gingka called as soon as their battle was over. A collection of gasps and surprised, excited chatter quickly rose as the younger bladers noticed who had spoken. A large crowd, which included practically everyone in the park, quickly lined up around the stadium, with Gingka and Zero taking their positions on the raised platforms. The battle quickly began, with Gingka dodging and knocking out bladers with ease. Madoka, watching and gathering data herself for the first time since she had begun teaching Maru, could now clearly hear the message each flowing movement of Gingka's bey and body made. She could hear the message resonating from every single sweep of his arm, every attack, every rotation of his bey.

_"Watch me, Madoka. Watch me take on the world, and win." _

The brunette smiled as Gingka glanced back, her presence clearly replying to his unspoken words even as she called out stats:

_"I am watching, and when the battle is over, i'm waiting to celebrate."_

Both the blader standing on the platform, locked into the heat of battle, and the mechanic, locked into the excitement of watching, knew one thing: This was what they had wanted, and they wouldn't have it any other way. They had stood, side by side, and conquered the world. Now, they would stand again, by the other's side, and watch their efforts pay off.

"Ifraid, Burning Upper!"

"Look out for that move, Gingka! He will pull you up the side of the stadium and it could end in a stadium out!"

"I've watched enough of Neo Battle Bladers to know that much! But, you know what i remember from even before the original Battle Bladers tournament?"

"Huh?"

"A flame can't burn in a vacuum! Go, Pegasus!"

"Oh yeah! Look out Zero, here he comes!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Spin, Pegasus! Run faster, and outrace Ifraid!"

"Uwahh! He dodged it?"

"Now! Pegasus, Storm Bringer!"

Madoka smiled as a huge explosion rocked the ground beneath her feet. The air was filled with the shouts of bladers as their beys flew out of the stadium. Once it had all faded, and Gingka could again be seen, standing strong in a battle stance, completely engulfed in the blue flames of his own power, Madoka again saw the clear, resounding message:

_"Watch me, and I'll take on the world and win. And, i'll do it all for you."_

And, with every move of her body as she moved to congratulate him, she replied:

"_I am watching. Go for it."_

**Me: Ughh, what did I just write, anyway?**

**Gingka: A sappy romance story?**

**Me: Yeah, pretty much. ^_^**


End file.
